Companion at Large
by Insaine
Summary: Anna and L have been solving cases together for some time, but this time is different. This time they go in already knowing the killer all too well. Prequel to Forever and Always and Hard to Love. Follows "Death Note: Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases."
1. Chapter 1

Anna's POV

"Anna?" L asked as he came into the room.

I turned and pressed a finger to my lips. Getting up from my seat next to Near's bed and ushered L out of the room. "I just got him to sleep." I explained closing the door behind me. Near had just turned nine and was sick. If I thought he was difficult to put to bed when he was well, getting him to go to sleep when he was sick was absolute torture. "What is it?" I asked looking to L.

He looked down the hall and then motioned for me to follow him. I followed him down the hall and into the kitchen where he shut the door behind us. "I found him."

"Found who?" I asked, not following his train of thought.

I noticed L bite his tongue lightly, something he did when he wanted to say something, but was unsure of how I'd react to it. I waited patiently as he seemed to be debating with himself internally. Finally he motioned for me to take a seat. I did and he did the same, pulling his knees to his chest. "I found Beyond."

My heart stopped. It had been almost ten years since I'd seen Beyond. He'd taken off without saying goodbye right after A had died. All I'd had left of him was a letter he'd left to me. I'd read it, but it hadn't said much of anything and I'd burned it that night. In a way it had been a way for me to get closure, I'd accepted that I would never see Beyond again, now I might get to and it was almost too much.

"Alright." I said quietly. I looked from the pale wood of the kitchen table to L, "Let's go get him then."

"Anna…" His voice trailed off. There was something else, something L had left out.

"What is it?" I asked.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked to me, his eyes were glossy. "It's not going to be that easy."

"Why not?" L and I had solved countless cases that had been dubbed unsolvable. We'd done the impossible so many times. How could this be any different? We just had to go and grab him and drag his ass back to Wammy's house.

"I don't have a lot of time to explain. So let me just give you a quick over view for now and I'll explain the rest on the plane." He requested and I nodded, signaling him to continue. "Beyond is in Los Angeles, California. We are going to go there and find him, but when we do he will not be coming home with us."

I didn't understand. Beyond had made a mistake in leaving, but we couldn't condemn him for that forever. If we found him we could talk to him, forgive him for deserting us, and bring him home where he belongs. "Why not?" I questioned.

L took a deep breath and looked over at me, "Because our dear friend is a murder and has declared war against me."

I shook my head. This can't be real. This couldn't actually be happening. It was ridiculous. "Are you sure? Maybe it's not him."

"Anna…" his voice trailed off once again and he slipped a piece of paper across the table. "It's him."

I looked down at the paper. It seemed to be a particularly challenging crossword puzzle. So far it was only half solved. "This is your proof?" I asked looking over the clues.

"Do you need more?" He asked. When I didn't answer he sighed, "Love, I need to know if you're going to take his case on with me or not. Either way I need to get to LA before more people die."

I looked up from the puzzle to L, "Of course I'm with you." I replied, still recovering from the shock the news had given to me.

"Good. In that case, I need to go speak to Watari. You go pack a bag. We shouldn't be gone for more than a week." He kissed the top of my head and was out the door.

I sighed and got up to pack my things away.

"Please make sure Near takes his medicine, Roger." I requested as I finished putting the bags in the back of the car.

"Of course." He said sounding less than enthusiastic to be stuck with the boys. Roger and I had never really gotten along to begin with, but now that I was leaving him alone with three little boys every couple of weeks, he wholeheartedly hated me. Or at least he acted like he did, but when I had confronted him about it he said he didn't.

"We'll be back in a week okay?" I pressed kisses to Matt and Mello's cheeks and smiled. "Play nice while I'm gone." Matt and Mello had a tendency to tease Near since he was the youngest and number one at Wammy's.

"Anna, let's go." L called from the backseat of the car.

"Coming." I waved to the boys and Roger and got into the car. The drive wasn't too bad and we arrived at the airport rather quickly.

The second we got onto the jet, L was on his laptop. "Here." He turned it to show me the case files he received from the LAPD. "These are the victims so far. The picture the families provided along with the crime scene photo."

I looked them over, scrolling through them gently. "They have such peculiar names." I noted. "Anyways, have you found someone to be your fill in for this? Or are we just going to find B ourselves?" I asked.

L turned the laptop around, "Naomi Misora. She's an FBI agent, one of the best actually. She's been suspended though."

I nodded when he turned the laptop back to me to show me her picture. She was pretty. I took in her appearance, she must have been pretty tough to be in the FBI. "What is she suspended for?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know." L said taking the computer back and starting to look through the files.

"You didn't check?" I questioned. That could be important when enlisting her help.

"Does it matter? She's available and she's one of the best FBI agents out there." He didn't look up from his laptop.

I nodded to myself. "I suppose you're right. Wake me up when we get to LA." I said lying on the couch. L hummed in response and I fell asleep to the sound of his typing.


	2. Chapter 2

Anna's POV

I woke up the same way I fell asleep: to the typing going on at L's laptop. I yawned and pulled myself into a sitting position before rubbing sleep out of my eyes. "What's our ETA?" I asked.

"We're approximately twenty minutes out." L said, his thumb to his lips eyes never leaving the screen. He seemed troubled, but that was to be expected. We were hunting our best friend.

"Have you contacted Naomi yet?" I asked running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to fix it.

"I emailed her through her boyfriend's email address. She'll awaken to find it open." He glanced at the clock. "Actually she should be logging onto the server I set up in less than a minute." A few more clicks and he stopped typing all together and began attaching the voice scrambler. I had always hated the sound of the synthetic voice, but it kept L safe so it was worth it.

"Naomi Misora, this is L." L said into the microphone. I moved to sit next to him. The girl from the picture was on the screen. Her black hair looked to be ever so slightly damp.

She looked like she was going to speak and then stopped. There was momentary silence before text popped up on the screen, 'This is Naomi Misora. It is an honor to speak to you L.'

L smirked. "It's an honor to speak to me."

I shoved him lightly, "You wish." I took the mic and pressed the speaking button. "Naomi Mirsora, are you familiar with the murder investigation going on in Los Angeles as we speak?" I asked unsure of how long L would have this line open for. We needed to find BB and we needed to find him now before more people got hurt.

Naomi seemed to make a face as if she were annoyed with the situation. She typed rather quickly. 'I'm not so skilled that I can keep track of all the murder investigations happening in Los Angeles.'

"Oh? I am." L answered snatching the mic back and pushing my rolling chair away.

"Don't be a jerk." I said pushing him back.

"She started it. Now cut it out, I'm on a tight schedule." He returned his attention to the task at hand. "I'm referring to the serial killings- the third victim was found yesterday. I believe there will be more victims to come. The HNN news is calling them the Wara Ningyo Murders."

Naomi said something, but since it was evident she knew we could not hear her, she must have been talking to herself.

"I would like to solve this case." I watched L pause and collect himself. "I need to arrest this killer. But your help in this matter is vital, Naomi Misora." He concluded.

"Stop saying her name every time you address her. It's weird." I warned. L just waved me off.

'Why me?' The text popped up on the screen.

L rolled his eyes as if the reason for his choice should have been obvious, "Naturally because you are a skilled investigator, Naomi Misora." He looked at me as he said her name.

"You are a child." I hissed moving it hit him playfully when he forced my chair away and I rolled to the other side of the plane. "I know. Isn't that convenient?" He asked.

"What did she say?" I asked standing from the chair. He can't roll me away if I'm not in a chair.

"She mentioned her leave of absence."

"You mean her suspension." I corrected. I still wasn't on board with working with her when we had no idea what it was she did to get suspended from the FBI.

"Call it what you will." He replied still looking to the screen. A smile appeared on his face as the next set of text popped up. "She agreed."

"I can read." I replied.

"Thank you. I knew you would agree. Let me explain how you will contact me in the future. We have no time so I will be brief." L went on explaining how the calling would work and I went to the couch, bored listening to him talk with Naomi.

L's POV

Anna and I arrived at the hotel in good time. Watari went to check us in and then we were rushed through the back entrance and up to the room. "Misora will be at the first crime scene tomorrow. For now we should just go through the files. Perhaps you can help me finish this puzzle?"

"You can do it. Just give me the files I want to look for something." Anna looked tired as I handed her the case file I'd built from the information provided us. I worked on the puzzle trying to pick BB's brain. "I hate this." Anna mumbled looking at the victims.

"I can go through that. Those are kind of graphic." I conceded.

Anna shook her head, "Not that." She put down the file. "We shouldn't have to be chasing down B as a killer. We should have gone after him the second he took off."

"Anna," I put down the crossword puzzle and looked up at her. "We were just kids." Beyond had taken off when Anna was twelve. I had just barely turned thirteen.

"That's not an excuse. You and I were smart enough to build a rocket to the moon by the time Beyond left. We should have looked for him. We just let him leave."

I took a deep breath and reached for her hand. "Listen to me, Anna." I met her eye, "We could not have prevented this. B wasn't found because he didn't want to be found. We could have searched forever and never found him."

Anna looked me over and then nodded. "Alright. Let's find a connection between the victims." She sighed laying out the information for each victim in order: Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen, and Backyard Bottomslash. "Well they all have stupid names." Anna muttered.

I laughed quietly, "I don't think that's the connection." I returned to the puzzle.

"Shut up, I'm still looking."


	3. Chapter 3

L's POV

"Damn it." I heard Anna hiss quietly from across the room. I looked up just in time to see her throw the reports from each of the scenes down onto the table before she buried her face in her hands.

"You okay?" I asked only slightly concerned. Anna could be quite dramatic and working together on cases was still fairly new territory for the both of us.

"I'm fine it's just." She paused and brought her hands, fisted together, to her lips as if contemplating exactly how to say whatever was on her mind. "When we took this case." Another pause. "When we took this case I was hoping we would come out here and I could find something, anything really, to tell me this wasn't Beyond. That we were wrong." Her eyes were glossy when she looked up at me.

"Anna, you knew how unlikely that was." I retorted. "What are you looking at that made you so frustrated?"

"The light sockets." She mumbled just loud enough for me to hear her.

"The light sockets?" I asked.

She nodded and began picking up the files and straightening them out. "Yes, they were wiped clean. No fingerprints anywhere." She paused and a small bitter smile came to her lips, "That's how I know without a doubt we're dealing with BB. Do you remember when we were kids, how clean his room used to be?"

I nodded, "Of course. When the kids from the other orphanage, the one Roger runs, would come over. They always thought we had an extra room because it never looked lived in. Excuse me." I picked up the phone Naomi was using to call me.

"Put it on speaker." Anna insisted, leaving her files behind to come stand by me.

"L, I've reached the scene." Naomi's voice came through the receiver.

"Good." I answered leaning back in my seat. Anna pulled up the chair next to me and sat down. It was still strange, being in the hotel room with her. I'd been a detective for three years and quickly gained a name for myself as the world's greatest detective. Anna had stayed home, taking care of the three boys she'd unofficially adopted as her own. One day one of them would be a successor to me. In the past year, Anna had decided to join me in solving cases.

"What should I do now?" The voice asked again. Anna began mumbling under her breath in Gaelic. She had always had a hard time with people not taking initiative. I was trying to get her to stop doing that as it had almost gotten her killed on the second case she'd worked with me.

"Naomi Misora, are you inside the building or outside?" I asked, ignoring Anna's grumbling.

"Outside, I'm heading toward the scene of the crime, but I have not yet entered the yard." Naomi confirmed.

"Then why the hell is she calling us, she's not even there yet. Ouch!" Anna hissed as I hit her arm in an attempt to get her to stop talking.

"Then please go inside, it should be unlocked. I've arranged for that." I said calmly. Watari had gone to open all the doors earlier that morning while Anna and I continued to go through files after files.

"Thanks." Naomi said. Her tone suggested she was not only ungrateful, but had something else to say. I remained quiet as did Anna, as we waited for her to say what she wanted to, but she didn't. "But, L…"  
Her voice trailed off.

Anna snatched the phone out of my hand, "What?" She snapped. I hoped the synthetic voice would mask the change in tone. I knew she wouldn't be able to tell that the voice had changed, but Anna was much harsher than I was. Especially when it came to dealing with other women. Anna had grown up around only boys, mainly me. She'd never really practiced social skills with other girls.

"According to the data I received yesterday- not to state the obvious, but the police have already examined the scene."

"Yes." Anna was beginning to grow impatient.

"I'm not sure how you did it, but you already have the police records covering that."

"Yes." There was a pause and Anna pressed the mute button so Naomi couldn't hear us. "You picked a real winner here, Love."

"She's a good investigator. One of the best actually." I defended my choice.

"She asks too many questions." Anna stated in annoyance.

"So, there's no point in my being here?" Naomi's voice asked.

Anna sighed, "No." Then she pressed the unmute button, realizing her mistake, "No, I expect you'll be able to find something that they missed."

"Well… that's clear enough." Naomi said.

Anna looked at the phone in her hand, mouth wide open. "There is no need for such sass. That's all I'm saying." She handed me the phone and got up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Shower. I need to wash off the hostility." With that Anna was gone.

"They say you should visit a crime scene a hundred times, so going there is hardly pointless. Some time has passed so its possible something has floated to the surface. Naomi Misora, the first thing we need to think about in this case is the connection between the victims. What links Believe Bridesmaid, Quarter Queen, and the new victim, Backyard Bottomlash? Or is there no connection and these victims are completely random? But even if they are random, there has to be some logic behind how the killer picks his victims. What I'm asking you to do, Naomi Misora, is to discover the missing link." I concluded.

"I see…" No she didn't. There was uncertainty in her voice. She was confused as to how I expected her to find something the police didn't.

"By the way, Naomi Misora, what are your thoughts on the killer? I'd like to hear your current thinking on the matter." I had to be sure I'd chosen correctly and the uncertainty in her voice had given me cause to worry I hadn't.

"I doubt my thoughts would be of any use to you, L…" She started.

I had to stop her there, "All thoughts are of use." It was true. It was the reason I had decided to bring Anna along on cases in the first place. She was brilliant and I enjoyed hearing her opinion on how things were. Her thoughts could open up new doors and help me see things in a new light. My opinions did the same for her regardless of how different or even opposite our opinions were. It was something I found truly interesting.

"He's abnormal." Naomi said, breaking me from my thoughts. I could have laughed, BB had always been abnormal. "not just because he's killed three people, but…" There was a slight pause as if she were trying to figure out exactly how to convey her thoughts to me. "Each action he took just drove that impression home. And he's not even trying to hide it."

"For example?" I asked hearing the shower start up in the next room. I wondered briefly if Anna had been listening to the conversation between myself and Naomi or if she had just had a hard time finding something to change into.

"For example…fingerprints." Naomi stated. "They have not found a single fingerprint at any of the crime scenes. They had been wiped away completely."

I rolled my eyes. They would never find one. Beyond wasn't that careless. At the orphanage, we had been raised to be able to solve the most difficult cases in the world. In turn, we would either be the world's greatest detectives or the best criminals. Of course there were no fingerprints, we were professionals. "True… but Naomi Misora, surly leaving no fingerprints is the basics of criminal technique." I reasoned in a way she would not know I already knew who was behind this, nor my relationship to him.

"Not to this extent." Naomi said sounding annoying with my reasoning and probably more so with my evident indifference. "If you don't want to leave fingerprints, most people would wear gloves- or otherwise wipe down anything they touched. But this guy… apparently he wiped clean every fingerprint in the house. At all three scenes. At first I wondered if he's been to the victim's houses so many times he had no idea what he had and hadn't, but once I read he unscrewed the lightbulbs and cleaned the sockets, it became a completely different story. What else can you call that but abnormal?" She asked.

I shrugged, slightly amused that she and Anna had both mentioned the lightbulbs. "I agree." It was almost enough to make me laugh. What Naomi considered a strange thing to do, Anna had regarded as a normal behavior. It was quite comical.

"So, L, back to what I was saying earlier" Naomi changed the subject back, "if he's taken such extreme precautions I doubt I'm going to find anything new here. It's a faint hope at best. Someone like this isn't going to make a mistake." There was a pause. I had no hope that Naomi would find a mistake, BB didn't typically make mistakes. Whatever it was that I needed her to find. It was something he'd done on purpose. "Normally an investigation like this starts with finding the criminal's mistake, and then filling in the puzzle from there, but in this case I doubt we'll find anything like that."

I doubted it too. I highly doubted it. "No, I don't think we will, but what if it wasn't a mistake." I guided, hoping she could follow my train of thought.

"Not a mistake?"

I took a deep breath. This was going to be a long couple of days. I heard the shower go off. "Yes. Something he deliberately left behind." I stressed. "And if the police detectives simply failed to notice it…" Which they most certainly had. "Then we might have a chance." I concluded. The door opened.

"Generally speaking, when the killer engages in this sort of meaningless destruction of the corpse, they have a deep-seated grudge against their victim… for a freelance writer, who would take any job, I wouldn't be surprised if he had quite a few enemies. He did a lot of gossip columns."

Anna sighed aloud and motioned for me to hand her the phone. She had taken a seat beside me once more. Her hair was still dripping wet. I handed it to her hesitantly. Anna hadn't actually heard the entire conversation between us, if she repeated something I had said, it could be discovered that I was not the only one here, or Naomi would assume I'm a forgetful person.

"But, Naomi Misora," Anna started, I could tell by the sideways glances she was sparing me every few seconds that she was sensing that I was uncomfortable with her having control. "That does not explain the connection between the second and third murders. Both of those bodies were also damaged in a way that had no direct connection to the cause of death- in fact the damage seems to have escalated with each murder." Anna glanced over to the files and snapped a few times. I quickly realized what she wanted and retrieved the file she'd been looking at. I lined up the photos of the corpses in front of her.

"It's possible Believe Bridesmaid was the only one he had a grudge against, and the other two murders were designed to disguise that. Or maybe it wasn't Bridesmaid, but one of the other two… or two out of the three, and the third was camouflage. The destruction might be getting worse because it's part of the disguise, or…"

Anna cut her off right there, her face beginning to redden, "You believe that the killer is only pretending to kill indiscriminately?" Anna looked to me and shook her head.

"No. This is just one pattern worth considering." Naomi replied. "This theory would explain the Wara Ningyo. I mean, maybe he left them there to prove that all three were killed by the same man- and the locked doors might be for the same reason."

"Pretending to be abnormal." I mused looking to Anna, "The idea of that is abnormal enough."

Anna shook her head, muting our voiced to Misora once again. "She's wrong. He's not pretending. He's always been-"

"A complete psychopath. I know."

"I was going to say strange."

"So, L," Naomi broke through our conversation and Anna unmuted her, "I feel ridiculous trying to find the connection between the victims. I think the police are doing a fine job of that, and… frankly, checking out who knew each of them seems more useful. I mean, the third victim, Backyard Bottomlash… she must have been involved with all kinds of business deals at the bank."

"But Naomi Misora," I interrupted before Anna could, "This is no time for idle musings. I believe there will be a fourth victim in the near future." Naomi hummed in response. I sighed. She was missing the obvious and we both knew it.

Anna took this as an opertunity to speak up, "The number of Wara Ningyo." Anna stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and in a way it was. "Four where you are, three downtown with the second victim, and two at the third scene in West L.A- one less doll each time." Anna finished and sat back looking extremely pleased with herself.

"Yeah. So?" Naomi asked in a similarly smug tone to Anna's.

Anna rolled her eyes, "The number of dolls can still decrease by one." Anna said it as if she were talking to a child and I hit her in the arm.

She shot me a look and I muted Naomi. "Play nice, we need her to help us." Anna sighed and looked away. "Do you want to find BB or not?" Anna said nothing.

"So, L…" Naomi voiced, sounding unsure of herself. Maybe even a little embarrassed Anna had had to explain the dolls to her. "You think there will be as many as two additional murders?"

I took back the phone, "More than ninety percent." I said confidently and Anna looked to me. "I would say a hundred, but there's a small chance that something will happen on the killer's side that will prevent him from continuing. So maybe ninety-two percent. But Misora, if something does happen, it won't be two more- only one. There's only a thirty percent chance of a fifth murder." I finished.

Anna's POV

I watched L explain his idea on how many more people will die. There wouldn't be any more if we could find him before he killed again, but the chances of us doing that were slim. Only about eight percent in L's mind. I didn't put numbers on things like L did, but had I had to, it would have been closer to three percent. If beyond didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found.

"Thirty percent?" Naomi's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

I looked to L for clarification. When his eyes met mine, I could tell he knew I'd spaced out. "Fifth murder." He whispered to help me out. I nodded.

"Why? There are two more Wara Ningyo… and if he's using the dolls to represent his victims…"

"He won't be able to leave a Wara Ningyo at a fifth crime scene. He will go from two dolls to one when he kills the fourth victim. That doll will make it obvious that this is the work of the same killer, but…" L was unable to continue because of Naomi's outburst.

"Oh! I see…" I rolled my eyes. Being with L and Watari and the boys for this long has made me forget how exceedingly tiring it was to deal with people at a normal intelligence level.

"There's a thirty percent chance that the killer won't think things through that far, but that's extremely doubtful. After all, he did wipe the lightbulb sockets." L flashed me an amused grin. Had she noticed that too?

"So there will only be four victims in total. The next one will be the last." She said.

"No." L said firmly, "The third was the last. There will not be another one. Not with me involved." I looked him over and smiled to myself. This didn't come out very often. L was a lot of things: smug, obsessive, boastful, and proud being a few. However, despite all that, he didn't exhibit the power that came along with being the world's greatest detective very often. This was a rare sight and it was enough to put you in awe.

I moved from my seat to stand behind him and wrapped my arms about his neck before pressing a kiss to his cheek, "Confident, are we?" I asked in a low tone. I felt him tense up for a moment.

L cleared his throat, "But I need your assistance, Naomi Misora. I expect great things from your investigation."

"Do you?" She asked.

"Yes. Please keep your heart frozen while you work. In my experience, what a case like this needs most is a mind that will not be moved by anything. Behave as if you are playing chess on ice." I continued to smile to myself. Behave as if you are playing chess on ice. It was advice he'd given the boys at Wammy's for when they were working cases on their own. For now they were all stuck studying.

"L, you do know I'm on a leave of absence?" She asked. Why did she keep bringing it up? What the hell did she do?

"Yes. That's why I asked for your help. With this case, I need a skilled individual that can work on their own." L informed her.

"So I imagine you know why I'm on a leave of absence." She replied. She sounded so ashamed.

"No, I don't know that." He admitted indifferently.

"You didn't check?" She asked.

"I wasn't interested. You were skilled and you were available, that was all that mattered- unless there was something I should know about. Then I could find out in under a minute." L was becoming wary too. Naomi had mentioned her leave of absence twice now.

"No." She said slowly. "Okay, L," She seemed to have found a new confidence, "If we're going to stop the fourth murder we should get started. What do I do first?"

I looked to L, "What can you do?" I asked. How were we supposed to know what she should do? She was the one at the scene.

"I can do what I can do." Misora said. What was that supposed to mean? She had quite the attitude. "I know I keep asking, but if I'm going to look over the scene again… searching for anything he left behind besides the Wara Ningyo… What, specifically, am I looking for?" She asked.

I sighed and moved away from L.

"Any kind of message." He said.

"A message?" Why must she question everything?

"Yes. This was not listed in the data I gave you, but nine days before July 31st, before the first murder on July 22nd, the LAPD received a letter." He revealed looking to the letter in question: The crossword.

"A letter? Connected to the case?" She asked.

I sighed audibly. "Why would we mention it if it wasn't? Honestly." I fell onto the couch. Something didn't feel right.

"At the moment, none of the detectives involved have noticed a connection. I don't know for certain that there is one, but I think there is."

"Liar." I said more to myself.

"What percent?" She learns quickly, I'll give her that.

L smiled, realizing the same thing I had, "Eighty percent." He didn't hesitate. Without skipping a beat he continued, "The sender is unknown- a forwarding system was used, and there's no way to tell where it was sent from." He sounded as frustrated as I felt. If we could figure out where B had sent that letter from, we could find him and end this now. "Inside the envelope was a single sheet of paper with a crossword puzzle written on it."

"A crossword puzzle?" Naomi sounded unconvinced by the letter.

This irritated me to no end, why did she feel the need to question everything L told her? I snatched the phone from his hand and sat on the arm of his chair, "Don't be dismissive. It was a very difficult puzzle and no one could solve it. Of course, we could also take it that no one applied themselves to it seriously, but it seems reasonable to hypothesize that several policemen working on it together were unable to solve the puzzle." I explained carefully.

"I see. So?" She asked.

"Eventually they decided the puzzle was just a prank and it was thrown away." I heard L mutter something about quitting, but didn't pay it much mind. "But my information-gathering network acquired a copy of it through other channels yesterday." I knew it sounded like I was bragging and in a way, I was.

L took back the phone. "I solved it."

"Well aren't you smart." L shot me a look.

"If I'm not mistaken, then the answer to the puzzle is where you are- the address of the first murder." L clarified in case that wasn't obvious.

I got up from his chair, not in any mood to speak with Naomi anymore. I gathered up the files and headed over to where I had been sitting prior to the phone call. There was something bothering me and I just couldn't shake the feeling that we were missing something. I started looking for the connection once more.

"Next time you call me, please use line number five, Naomi Misora." L hung up and came to stand beside me. "Have you found anything?"

I shook my head, "Not exactly." I dropped the crime scene photos and covered my mouth with my hands in thought. After a moment I looked up at L, "I'm bothered."

"By what?" He asked.

I made some vague hand motions as I tried to phrase it correctly. "A couple things actually. One is the victims."

"What about them?"

"I can't find a connection between them."

"Have you ever considered the possibility that there is none?" He asked, half-jokingly.

"Of course, but… it's highly unlikely that there wouldn't be one." L took a seat beside me. "When have you ever known BB to do something without purpose?"

"I see your point. What else?" He asked and I hesitated.

"The puzzle. For starters, you have not only had it since yesterday. You've had it for at least two days." I pointed out. L held up his hands in surrender knowing he'd been caught in the lie he'd told to Naomi. "Also, I'm not sure that it was meant for the police. I mean… these questions." I turned the completed puzzle to him. "They're hard, I would have had a hard time with some of them. It seems like the only ones that could have solved this is the kids who went to Wammy's and as far as he know, you and I are the last kids from there."

"Meaning this is to us, specifically." L completed the thought, but it wasn't entirely accurate.

I shook my head, "Not us. I mean," I took a deep breath, "he's definitely waging a war against Wammy's, but I'm not the one who's a household name, you know?"

L nodded, "So it's me."

"Basically." I said sitting back.

L looked at the pictures on the table between us and then up to me, "Well, if its war he wants, I suppose that's what I'll give him."


	4. Chapter 4

Anna's POV

"L, can't just-" I was cut off by the phone ringing. I was growing inpatient. This was our friend, we should be out there trying to find him. This was no time to be an armchair detective.

L looked at my apologetically before answering, his tone slightly annoyed but that would be lost in the scrambling of his voice, "What is it Naomi Misora?"

"Something I need to report." She was speaking lowly. L and I both had raised eyebrows at this. We hadn't expected any progress so soon. We'd only hung up with her about an hour before. This was good.

"Progress in the case? Very fast work…." I could hear the impressed undertone in his voice.

"No…" L looked at me. I shrugged, just as confused as he was. "Well, a little. I may have stumbled across a message from the killer."

"Wonderful." I said before I could stop myself from speaking.

"But it wasn't me that figured it out. How can I put this? A kind of… mysterious private detective…" Her voice trailed off and my heart plummeted from my chest to my stomach. I looked to L and it seemed he was having the same idea I was. This was Beyond. "…just showed up." Naomi finished finally.

"I see…" L said, obviously hoping to get more information. If she told us more about this so-called detective we could figure out if it really was B.

"You see, I showed him the picture of the autopsy that you gave me and he thinks the markings are roman numerals. I thought they were letters at first, but after he said it, I think he may be correct. His name is Rue Ryuzaki."

"It's a very good observation." I mumbled.

"He also had the crossword puzzle. Or at least he had a copy of it."

"A copy of the puzzle? That's very interesting." L said looking to me. We knew. There was no way this detective wasn't B.

"What should I do? Frankly, I think it's dangerous to take my eyes off him." I shook my head at Naomi's words. She was correct, it was dangerous-very dangerous. At least until we figured out how he was choosing victims.

"Was he cool?" L's question caught me off guard and judging by the confused noise from the other end of the phone, it caught Naomi off guard as well. "Was he cool?"

"Absolutely not. Creepy and pathetic, and so suspicious that if I weren't on leave, I'd move to arrest him the moment I laid eyes on him. If we divided the world into those that would be better off dead and those that wouldn't, there's no doubt in my mind he would be the former. Such a complete freak that it amazes me he hasn't killed himself." Naomi's words were harsh.

I felt anger begin to boil within me. No matter what Beyond had done, no matter what he's become, he'd been a good friend to both L and I. I moved toward the door, ready to go to the crime scene and deal with this myself when L moved from the seat he was in at a speed I'd never think he was capable of. He caught my arms and looked me in the eyes. His grey eyes were filled with concern.

"Storming down to the scene will do nothing. It will only alert B to how close we are. Let me handle this. Please take a seat." He brushed a stray strand of brown hair behind my ear, "Please?" I nodded and we took our seats at the table once again, "So, Naomi Misora, your instructions." L's fingers intertwined with mine, a silent way of asking me to remain silent.

"Yes?" She asked. I bit at my lip in annoyance, suddenly very unhappy with the sound of her voice.

"I imagine you're thinking much the same thing as I am, but let this private detective do what he likes for the moment." L gripped my hand tighter and placed his free thumb to his lips in thought. "Partly because it's dangerous to let him out of your sight, but more importantly it's important to observe his actions. I believe the credit for the deductions of the autopsy photo goes more to you more than it does him, but he is clearly no ordinary person."

"I agree." She said.

"Is he close by?" I asked as calmly as I could manage. This was no time to allow emotions to get the better of me.

"No, I'm alone. I'm calling from the bathroom, upstairs and to the back of the house, away from the bedroom."

L typed away for a moment and then sighed, "Go back to his side soon. I will follow up on him, and try to discover if a detective named Ryuzaki has actually been hired by Believe Bridesmaid's parents." L said standing up, I did the same.

"Okay."

"You can use the same line next time you call." L clicked the end call button and looked to me, "Want to pay Mr. and Mrs. Bridesmaid a visit?"

L's POV

"I feel ridiculous." I admitted, tugging at the tie Anna had tied not to long before. She had stuck me in an all-black suit and she was in a similar outfit, except she'd opted for a skirt instead of pants. She'd forced me to fix my hair, slicking it back out of its unruly state. Anna had pulled her own hair into a tight bun, pulling her bangs out of her face, her makeup was professional, yet dark-almost too dark for her pale skin. Not that I would ever tell her that.

"Suck it up, Love." She knocked forcefully on the door.

It opened quickly to reveal a rather short old woman. Her hair was up in a sloppy bun and her skin was withered and sun kissed. The woman was still in her house robe despite it being quite late in the day. She couldn't have been over five feet tall since even Anna towered over her. "May I help you?" She asked.

I noticed Anna wrinkle her noise slightly, she never did like the sound of American accents, " Mrs. Bridesmaid? We're from the FBI." She said flashing her fake badge as I showed my own. "Detective Katherine Spencer and this is my partner Detective Kyle Adams." She and I put our badges away, "We'd like to ask you a few questions concerning your son's death." I couldn't help but smile at the way she was trying to hide the soft lilt in her voice.

Mrs. Bridesmaid let us and we followed her to the living room. We sat on the old, plastic covered couches and the old woman returned with a tray of tea. "I've already been over this with the police." She said, her voice shook slightly.

"Yes, Ma'am, and we're sorry to keep bothering you, we just had a few questions." I assured. "Where is your husband?" I asked.

The old woman sighed to herself, "John is at work. He stayed home for a few days after what happened, but… why would anyone want to do that to my baby?" She looked distressed.

Anna reached out and patted her hands, "That's what we're trying to figure out, Ma'am."

"Did your son have any enemies? Anyone who would want to cause him some harm?" I asked.

She shook her head, "My son was very well liked. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to…" Her voice hitched in her throat.

Anna pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to the older woman, "Our deepest condolences. We have one more question." She said. The woman nodded, blotting her eyes with the tissue. "We understand that you hired a private detective to take on the case. A Mr. Rue Ryuzaki?"

"Oh, yes. He promised to find the killer. The police… well the police weren't coming up with any answers. He said he could… Did he do something?"

Anna put on a false, yet convincing smile, "On the contrary, Miss. He is an old friend of ours. I'm sure he'll find the killer in no time. We're hoping to begin working very closely with him soon."

"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Bridesmaid. We'll see ourselves out." I said and got up, Anna followed closely behind me.

Once we were out the door and in the car, she ripped off her jacket and pulled her hair out of the professional bun, allowing her bags to fall back into her face, "Well, B's story checks out. Sick fuck, going to the families and promising to finds the killer."

"Yeah, I know. We have to stop him before someone else gets hurt." I said pulling my tie off and tossing it in the backseat of the car.

"Agreed. Should we go to the crime scene? Just pick him up there?" Anna asked.

I thought for a moment. It would be easy that way. Quick, efficient. "No."

"No? What do you mean no? We could prevent this from going any further." Anna claimed and then I watched her shoulders drop and her head fall to the side, watching me carefully, "Unless you can't do it."

I looked her over for a moment before starting up the car, "Let Naomi handle it." I stated plainly.

"You don't want to arrest him either. We don't have to, we could just take him back to Wammy's rehabilitate him, he's mental we can help him get bett-"

"That is enough, Anna." I barked at her, more harshly than I'd meant to. "We can't do that. We can't just go in and take him from the country. The government wants to see this crime solved and the killer behind bars. That is what's going to happen. It's inevitable, but you and I do not need to be the ones to who put him in handcuffs. We are just going to guide Misora to the desired destination. Is that understood?" I asked.

Anna looked me over before a quiet, "Yeah I understand," fell off her lips.

I ran my hands through my hair as we arrived back at the hotel. Anna was out and in the hotel before I could even get out of the car. When I did arrive up to the room, Anna was sulking. "Anna, please." I fell on the couch beside her.

She looked up from her hands, "Maybe I could go to the scene. I'll stay out of sight, B and Naomi will never even know I'm there."

I laced my fingers through hers, "You know why I can't let you do that."

She unlaced her fingers from mine and pressed a kiss to my cheek, "I have to go check in with Roger, let me know if anything comes up."


	5. Chapter 5

Anna's POV

Our hotel wasn't too far from the first crime scene so it didn't take very long to sneak out of the hotel room and get down there, only about fifteen minutes. I walked casually by 211 Insist Street and looked at the scene. It looked so normal from this side of the street. You'd never think there was a murder and a suspended FBI agent just beyond its walls. Before I could really think things through, the door opened and I had to duck down between the two houses to avoid being seen.

Naomi came out first and quickly turned down the street, evidently eager to get away from her companion. I waited patiently for Beyond to come out, but I was unprepared what I actually saw. The door reopened and L came out of the house. My heart stopped. I pulled out my phone and pressed it to my ear. It rang a few times before it picked up.

"Where are you? You can't just disappear like this, Anna." L's voice came through the line, but the L on the other side of the street didn't have a phone.

"L, where are you?" I questioned. What was going on? I felt like I was in the twilight zone.

"I'm at the hotel." He said, his voice dropping. I guess I sounded scared. "Where are you?"

I blinked a few times. "I'm outside the crime scene and I swear I'm looking at you."

There was a sharp intake of breath and then silence. After a few moments L spoke, "I'm coming to get you."

I noticed the other L look over to where I was and begin walking toward me. "Shit." I mumbled. "That's unnecessary." I said quickly turning from the scene and rushing down between the houses.

"What's going on?" L questioned.

I hopped the wall and rushed across it into the ally way behind the houses and headed down the street as the sun started setting. "Nothing, nothing." It wasn't long until I felt someone following me.

"Anna…" L's voice was warning.

I look a deep breath and sped up. "Nothing, I just have something stuck to my shoe." I said as calmly as possible. I had said I wouldn't be seen. God, I was such a failure. This was the last thing I needed to happen.

There was silence for a moment, "You're being followed?" L questioned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it sucks." I replied pulling out my compact and opening the mirror. It was too dark to make out any actual features in my little mirror, but there was definitely a silhouette of someone following me and the gap was closing between us at an unsettling pace.

"I can come down there. It's getting dark." L tried again. If he came down here on my account there would be problems. He would be in danger, he would have to confront Beyond and I knew he didn't want to do that.

"No. I'll handle it." I assured.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

I hesitated, could I handle this on my own? Last time I checked, B was the one with the upper hand. That was a long time ago though. He was out of practice as far as I knew. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you in twenty." I hung up and listened to the second pair of footsteps behind me growing louder. I was in so much trouble.

I weighed my options. I could run, but B might be faster. I could fight, but I wasn't sure how that would go either. I couldn't go back to the hotel until I was sure I lost him, putting L in danger was not an option. I could wait until he acted, or I could act first. That was the only two options that were going to work right now.

I tried to calm myself as I walked. When I heard the steps almost directly behind me, I spun around on my heels, swinging one of my legs up, but it was blocked easily and I was spun around in a complete circle. I kicked the middle of his chest as he pushed me away, sending us both flying backwards. He fell back and I took the opportunity to pin him down.

"Why are you following me?" I asked breathing hard, partially due to the sudden physical activity partially due to being afraid of what was about to happen.

A sadistic grin broke out on his face, "I had to be sure. Hello, Anna." The voice was familiar, deeper than I remembered but familiar.

I pulled back, letting him up off the asphalt, "Beyond. Still stalking people I see." I moved back.

"You're here with L?" He sounded hopeful.

I shook my head, "No. I'm alone."

He took a step toward me as I took one back, "You're lying."

I felt panic fill me and I swung blindly, evidently it caught him off guard because I actually made contact. With what I'm not sure, but I didn't stop to check, I just ran. I got to a crowded street after about fifteen minutes of running and ducked into an open liquor store. I picked up my phone and dialed L's number.

"Anna? What happened? Where are you?" L asked.

I looked out the glass window for the street sign, "The 711 on 34th Street and Sheridan Street. Could you send Watari to get me?" I asked smiling awkwardly at the cashier as I browsed the candy aisle.

"Of course. He'll be there in five minutes. Just stay where you are."

"No problem."

"Would you like me to stay on the line?" He asked.

I considered it for a moment, "No, I'll be alright." I didn't need anyone over hearing us talk.

It wasn't long before the headlights of Watari's car were shining in through the window. He rushed into the store, black cloak and all and came over to me. I bought some random candy bar as a thanks for letting me hide out in the store and allowed Watari to usher me out of the store and into the car. We headed back to the hotel and he led me up the stairs to the room. When we reached the room he opened the door and let me in.

L was sitting in the corner of the room, looking over something on his computer. When I shut the door behind me, he looked up. He pushed back from his desk and started over to me. I had prepared myself for him to be angry. He had every right to be angry. He told me not to go and I did it anyways. I looked down and took a deep breath, readying myself for whatever he was going to say.

I waited for a few moments for a scolding that would never come. L wrapped his arms around me tightly. Shock prevented me from returning his embrace for a few seconds, but eventually I did the same. He smelled like coffee and cake batter.

"Please don't ever do that again." He requested, holding me tightly, "You had me worried. I was about to go looking for you."

I buried my face into his chest and fought back tears, "I'm sorry. I just needed to see for myself. Confirm things, you know?"

He pulled away from me and offered me a light smile, "Come on, you must be exhausted and I want to hear what happened."

He started to lead me toward the bed room we shared when I pulled him to a stop, "He's trying to be you."

"What?" He asked.

I gestured, "He dyed his hair black and it's all messy and he's got the white long sleeve and the jeans. He's pretending to be you. I thought he was you." I admitted. "I didn't really get a good look at his face though. It was too dark."

L brought me closer into him and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Come on, let's get you to bed. We can figure this out in the morning."


	6. Chapter 6

Anna's POV

One day. We had one day to bring in Beyond or someone else was going to die. L seemed to be more on edge than usual, but that was to be expected. After all, each second that ticked by was time we were losing. Still… I couldn't shake the feeling he knew something I didn't.

"I spoke with the relatives of the other two victims last night while you were out." L informed me after he hung up with Misora. She should be on her way down to the second scene right now.

I wasn't surprised that L had looked into the other families. "And? What did they have to say?"

L shrugged lightly, "They have both hired Rue Ryuzaki to investigate the deaths of their loved ones as well." He paused, seemingly thinking this over. "I've just contacted Naomi on the matter."

I nodded before moving from my spot on the couch to where he was sitting at the coffee table, "Have you told her you know him yet?"

L cocked his head to the side and stared at me for a moment, "Why would I do that?"

"It might help if you gave her a little insight to B. If you told her you know him you could give her more information on him."

L didn't answer for a few moments, instead opting to push his chair back from the table before pulling himself back in. "No. I believe she can do this without my assistance."

"L…"I started, but let it drop. If we were honest, I wasn't in any position to push my ideas since the last one backfired. "Okay. It's up to you."

He looked me over for a moment and took one of my hands. "I know you're worried. You just need to trust me on this." He leaned in, starting to close the space between us when his phone began to ring. He pulled away from me and picked up the phone. "It's Misora."

I sit back, pulling away from him, expecting him to answer the phone. Instead he pulled me closer to him in my chair. The kiss was simple and sweet and over all too soon. "L?"

"She can wait. We have appointed times for a reason." He kissed me again.

I put a hand on his chest, stopping him from repeating the action for a third time, "What if it's important?"

He shrugged, "It's probably just a report." He intertwined his fingers with mine and smiled, "It can wait until later."

L's POV

I moved in to kiss Anna again when she got up and moved to the other side of the room suddenly. "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."

I sat up again. "What is it?" I placed an elbow on the table and rested my cheek in my palm.

Anna had moved to the other side of the room and seemed to be thinking. "How do you think he makes the locked room? Obviously he doesn't have a key or anything."

I leaned back in my chair and thought over her question for a moment. "I'm not sure. There could be a number of ways to do it I suppose. A needle and thread seems to be the most likely." I got up and ran a hand through my hair. "I think the better question is why he wanted to make a locked room."

Anna nodded, "I suppose you're right." Arms crossed, she moved over to where I was standing and sat atop the table. "Do you think it matters? Like it's some clue? Or is it just something to connect the murders?" She tugged on her ponytail, tightening it. "We still haven't found the link between the victims."

I leaned against the wall and frowned, "What if the connection is obvious? Also, to answer your question, I think the locked rooms are just show."

"What do you mean obvious?" She asked.

I shrugged, "Something so obviously similar that it's easily overlooked." I mused moving back to the table and looking over the file quickly.

"If you're trying to hint at something, please just say it."

"They're initials are very similar." I stated.

Anna snorted, "That's stupid. BB wouldn't actually pick that as the connection. It's too-"

"Obvious." I interrupted.

She stared at me and brushed it off, "There's one other thing."

"What?"

"There's no defense wounds on any of the victims. Not one. It's like they just gave up and let him kill them."

"He did drug them." I reminded. It wouldn't be too unusual for them to not fight back if they had been in a drug induced state, but something still didn't sit right with me about the situation.

Anna stared at me for a moment, biting her lower lip. "What do you know that I don't?"

I blinked twice, "I'm sorry?"

She shrugged, "I just feel like you're keeping something from me? What is it? Do you already know who the last victim will be?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, "Not exactly."

Her entire demeanor changed. She straightened her posture and crossed her arms over her chest. Her usually bright green eyes clouded over with annoyance, "What does that mean?"

I stuffed my hands into my pockets, "It means I have a theory."

"Do you want to share it?" She pushed.

"No."

"L…"

"What?"

"You're acting like a child."

I turned away from her and moved back to the couch. I had a strong feeling about who Beyond's final victim would be. Still, without the proper evidence to back it up telling Anna seemed pointless. If I was wrong, she would be upset over nothing and I didn't really know how to lessen the pain she would be feeling.

"L?" Anna's voice at such a close proximity made me jump. I turned to find she'd made her way over to the couch. She was leaning away from me, watching me carefully. "Just tell me."

I leaned back as well, studying her carefully. She was leaning into the arm of the couch, her dark blue tank top had ridden up, revealing about an inch of her stomach. Her legs were crossed, the tops of her high tops were hidden by her jeans.

I nodded to myself, still unsure of exactly how badly she would take my idea. "I think Beyond's next victim… may be himself."


	7. Chapter 7

Anna's POV

It was August 16th. Naomi would be heading to the third victims house and to be honest, the fact that L was willing to do nothing to stop Beyond without solid evidence to convince the police was starting to test my patience. At a wave of his hand, he could command the world's armies to move into action, any police force to take a stand, any criminal to be convicted. It would only take his word against Beyond's to send him to jail and if L was correct in his assumption, if B was going to take his own life for the sake of his sick game, I wanted him in jail where he might be safe from himself.

After working nonstop for the past few days, I'd gotten L to bed. Knowing him, he would only sleep for an hour, maybe two if he were exceedingly lucky, but this was a faint hope at best. It had barely been ten minutes before the phone rang. I didn't bother looking at the caller ID, I knew who it would be.

"This is L."

I didn't make a habit of stealing my boyfriend's identity nor was it a habit that I answered his phone, but I wasn't about to wake him up for a matter I could handle myself. After all, he had been more than exhausted.

"This is Misora." Naomi answered calmly.

I smiled to myself. She couldn't tell it wasn't L. That would be all I need, for her to find out L was working with someone else, that he wasn't alone. That was something L had warned against more times than I could count.

She told me of her fight in the alleyway and I felt myself becoming a bit worried. If she was killed or injured, who would replace her? We couldn't catch anyone else up to speed in the time span we had, meaning it would have to be one of us. And knowing L… I shook the thoughts from my head. I would deal with that later.

She explained her situation as it was and her theory of why the victim had been lying face down instead of on her back like the others: it was because she was a child. I could hear her getting a bit worked up on her end, but she managed to control herself fairly well.

I nodded to myself, L had done well picking her.

"Ok, I understand. I was right to pick you, Naomi Misora." I tried, feeling strange by using her full name. It was simply something L had become accustomed to doing and if I was playing L I had to act the part. "Honestly, I did not expect such impressive results."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. It was such a back handed compliment. In truth, I wasn't sure it was something L would have said. At least not the way I had phrased it. I wasn't lying though. When L had told me of his selection, I had had my doubts as to whether or not she could be a fitting stand in. She was proving herself rather surprising and I was feeling more confident about L's choice.

"No… not at all. I don't deserve the compliment." Her comment surprised me. I raised my eyebrows and made to remark on it, but she continued before I could. "More importantly, about what I should do next… any thoughts? We don't know when the fourth murder will occur, so I thought maybe I should head over to West L.A. right now…"

"No need," I admitted. I needed her to wait for BB to show up. "I'd prefer that you secure your footing. Based on your report, there is plenty of time before the fourth murder occurs."

"Eh?" She questioned.

I knew it must have sounded insane, but I knew I was right. It didn't fit the pattern, but I knew it had to be correct. L may have a different idea of what was going on and when things would happen, but with his current lack of insight I had only my own instincts to go on. For the duration of his nap, this was my case and it was me who would be making the calls.

"The killer will take his victim on August 22nd. You have six more days." I calculated in my head. I knew I was right. I had to be right.

"Six days?" She didn't sound convinced.

I sighed to myself. I knew L would be waking up soon. "I'm afraid I don't have time to explain right now. Please try and work it out for yourself. But the next murder will occur…" I paused and decided to change my wording a bit, "Or the killer will make his next attempt on August 22nd, and I would have you act on that assumption." I decided looking toward the hallway to assure L wasn't lurking in the doorway. He wasn't but Watari was. I waved him off, but he came and sat down at the table across from me.

"Understood." Naomi sounded like she knew I was in no mood to be argued with. After all, I was running out of time. "In that case, over the next six days I will make careful preparations and investigate the third crime scene."

I nodded frantically now growing nervous under the watchful eyes on Watari. "Please do. Oh, and- Naomi Misora, do take all the precautions for your own safety. You are the only person who can work for me on this case. If you fall, there is no one that can replace you."

I had still been thinking about her fight in the ally. If she had been injured or worse, L would have been the one to step up. He would put himself on the front lines to take down Beyond. That was something I couldn't allow.

"Don't worry. I wasn't hurt." She proclaimed.

Well obviously… I sighed aloud to myself again and then noticed Watari give me an amused glance. "No- I mean be careful not to place yourself in situations in which you might be attacked. Avoid backroads, alleys, and other deserted areas. It might take longer, but stick to crowded areas and busy streets." I warned.

"I'm fine, L. I can take care of myself. I've trained in martial arts."

The last part of her sentence caught my attention.

"Have you? In what? Karate? Or Judo?"

"Capoeira."

I stopped all together. Capoeira? What the hell. Of all the martial arts styles she could have picked, she picked the one based off dance. I couldn't honestly say I wasn't disappointed.

"Yeah, I thought it was crap till I actually started it, but I got involved in street dancing in college and joined a Capoeira group as an extension of that. It's actually a very effective form of self-defense for a woman. The basic techniques all involve dodging your opponent's attacks, which means it isn't possible to overpower a block like it is in karate or judo. We can never match a man's power. And the acrobatic, tricky movements in capoeira give you time to get a good look at your assailant."

I allowed Naomi's words to settle in my mind for a minute. I didn't doubt that what she had said held a bit of truth. If you're always dodging you can't be overpowered. Still, something about the style being affective for a woman rather than simply affective bothered me. Whoever had told her she couldn't match a man's power and switched something on in her brain that didn't sit quite right with me. She was in the FBI, she had to be pretty badass for that and yet…

"Really? That makes sense," the words fell from my lips before I could stop them. "You're description makes it sound interesting. If I have time, I will have to look at some videos… but however confident you are, if they have a gun, or outnumber you, the situation changes. Take all the precautions you can." I warned again.

"Of course. Don't worry, I always do. Um, L?" She questioned.

I sat up straighter at her tone, "What is it, Naomi Misora?" Great, L had me calling her by her full name off of instinct now.

"I was wondering… you've figured out the killer's goal, right?"

I considered for a moment, knowing what L would want me to say… but L wasn't here. After a few moment's I nodded.

"Yes." I let this settle between us before speaking up again, "To tell the truth, I always knew who the killer was."

"Eh?" The sound resonated through the receiver.

"The killer…" I started and then looked up to Watari, who seemed natural about the situation. "Is B."

Watari's POV

I had been surprised to find Anna alone in the living room when I approached, but nothing had surprised me more that her admittance to Naomi Misora. They had only spoken for a minute or so after that before they hung up. Anna stared at me for a long time, her green eyes were filled with worry and regret.

"Do you think it was wrong to tell her?" She asked me.

I simply shrugged. "How did L feel about it?"

The question made her squirm uncomfortably and I had my answer before it left her mouth.

"He told me not to. Well, actually that's not true. He said he wouldn't tell her."

I gave her a sympathetic smile, "My dear, I don't see much of a difference."

She sighed and stood up. Pacing she tried to explain herself. My heart broke for her. I knew all Anna had to tell me before it could be rapidly forced out in a jumble of sentences. I had raised both her and L. I knew their every move before they would make it, the small things most people would miss. They were like my children. Both had been raised to be something great. Before I could offer assistance to her, a throat was cleared from behind me. Anna stopped in her tracks and I turned to see L, his hair even messier than usual, standing before us.

"Anna, what have you done?"


	8. Chapter 8

Anna's POV

"Anna, what have you done?" L questioned from the doorway.

I stopped pacing and looked at him. I knew that some amount of fear must have registered on my face. L knew before I could say anything. I glanced at the phone and then to him and offered him a smile, hopefully innocent smile.

"I haven't done anything." I lied. The look he gave me told me he wasn't buying it. I caved. "I'm only trying to help."

"By doing exactly what I said not to do." He reminded me.

L was losing patience with me. I couldn't blame him. After all, technically speaking this wasn't my case. It was his. Watari was looking between us sympathetically. I knew he wanted to let us figure this out on our own, but we needed help before this got out of hand. I, however, was not going to be the one to request him to step in.

"Why are you so opposed to being associated with Beyond?" I snapped.

L rolled his eyes, "Perhaps because he murders people for the fun of it."

"You're impossible."

"You're not thinking. If we can be traced to Beyond, Beyond can be traced back to Wammy's. Everyone is in danger there. Is that what you want?" L snapped.

"I think we just want different things from this case." I dismissed, annoyed with him.

I fell into the couch closest to me and turned my back to L. I didn't want to talk to him anymore. Not right now at least and certainly not about this. I needed a few minutes alone to collect my thoughts so that I wasn't on the verge of murdering him myself.

"That's probably because you have a death wish and I want to bring Beyond to justice."

I snapped around and shot him a look. "No, I want to save him and you want to condemn him. That's the difference L."

L came over to where I was and put his hands on the back of the couch. He stared me down for a few moments. Neither of us said anything. I didn't want to fight anymore. I just wanted to end this and go home. It had only been a few days, but I was exhausted already and I missed the boys. I'd had enough of L.A.

"If you are so concerned with saving someone who is beyond redemption, then go ahead and try. It won't work. Beyond wasn't found all those years ago because he didn't want to be found. Beyond won't be saved because he doesn't want to be saved. He probably doesn't even think he needs to be saved." His voice was hard, but his eyes softened when he finished.

"The ends will justify the means." I mused to myself.

L stood up straighter, moving away from me. "Exactly."

He came around the couch and sat next to me. We sat in silence. Not looking at one another, not touching. Just sitting. We couldn't bring Beyond back to Wammy's. There was never going to be just the three of us again. The fantasy of being friends again and having everything return to the way it used to be when we were kids diminished entirely. Nothing would ever be the way it used to be. We weren't children anymore. L and I weren't just friends anymore. Beyond wasn't Beyond anymore.

"I'm sorry." I said finally breaking the silence.

"I'm sure you are, but right now we don't need apologies. We need a plan of action to fix the damage done."

I looked to him. "The polite response is that it's okay."

L looked over at me. "Would you have me lie to you?"

I took a deep breath. I had to keep breathing. I felt the weight of the world fall on my shoulders, but I knew it could only be a fraction of what L felt. If things went wrong, if we failed, this would be on him. Not me. I stood up and offered my hand to L. He took it and I pulled him off the couch to his feet.

"Let's get started on the plan then. We have a criminal to catch."

L's POV

Anna and I resolved to work through the night to come up with some sort of plan. She went back over files we'd seen a hundred times, she didn't even seem to be disturbed by the photos anymore. A frown rested on her lips as she tried to work through problems. I sat beside her, typing and erasing different ideas on what we could do to stop Beyond before things went wrong. Well, before things got worse.

Around two in the morning, I felt a weight against my side. I looked over to Anna. Her eyes were half closed as she read over the information again and again. I could practically see the wheels in her head beginning to slow down. I set my laptop aside and wrapped one arm around her. Using my free hand, I took the file on Believe Bridesmaid from her.

"Perhaps you should go to bed. The next murder won't be for a few days anyway."

"August 22." She clarified.

I nodded, glad we were both on the same wavelength. "We have time."

She sighed and leaned farther into me. "I'm fine, just give me back the file."

She tried to reach across me to take it back. I held the file just out of her reach and she dropped her arm across me and wrapped it around me loosely. Anna's face was buried into the crook of my neck. She was tired, more than tired. I dropped the file onto the table and picked her up. Anna's arms wrapped around my neck as I carried her into the bedroom.

I tried to put her down on the bed, but she held on and pulled me down beside her. I laid down next to her for a minute on top of the sheets. I pressed a kiss to her forehead before trying to get up. Her arms locked around me even tighter.

"Anna, let go."

"No."

"Anna, I have to get up and turn off the light."

She glanced up under her lashes and frowned. "Will you come back?"

"Yes."

She released me and allowed for me to turn off the light and close the door to the bedroom. I crawled back into the bed beside Anna and pulled her closer to me. I felt her snuggle into me and wrap her arms around me.

"Tomorrows the 17th." She noted.

"Yes."

There was a silence. "L?" I hummed in response. "Do you think we'll be able to catch him?"

I didn't answer for a moment. I didn't want to say no. I knew we would catch him, I just wasn't sure what condition he would be in when we did.

"Yes, I'm positive we will."


	9. Chapter 9

L's POV

"Pacing isn't helping anyone. In fact it's becoming distracting." I stated as I continued to type away at my laptop.

Anna stopped in the rut she had begun to create and looked at me in disbelief. "How can you be so calm? It's been three days."

"I know."

It had been three days since Naomi Misora had actually come up with any significant progress in the case. The last progress had been on the 16th. It was now the 19th. That mean we had three days to get enough evidence to convict Beyond. If we didn't, someone else was going to die.

Anna fell into the chair next to me. She looked over my shoulder and read over what I had written, which admittedly wasn't much. She sighed allowed and looked over at me then away. After a few minutes she finally voiced the question I knew she'd been harboring for days.

"How do you know it will be Beyond?"

I shrugged, "Because he's B."

"I'm aware of who he is, I asked why he would die."

I shook my head, "I know what you asked. The reason it's going to be Beyond is because he is B." When Anna didn't reply, I finished the explanation. "The initials all point to BB."

She sighed, "I hate that he's being so obvious. It's like he's not even trying to hide it."

"He's not."

"Then he's being stupid." Anna crossed her arms and shook her head. "How are we going to prevent him from offing himself?" She looked to me for an explanation.

I shrugged, "It doesn't matter. What matters is that we do. After all, we just have to win."

Anna scrunched up her face. She seemed disgusted with my choice of words. There really was no other way to word it though. That is what we were trying to do. We had to beat Beyond at this little game he was playing.

"Is this really a matter of winning and losing?" Anna questioned.

I press my thumb to my lips and read over my screen. "Yes. It is."

I practically felt Anna rolling her eyes. "You're a child."

"This is war, Anna." I was only half paying attention. After a few minutes of silence I turned to Anna. "Do you think it's been too long since Naomi Misora last called? She's supposed to be at the last crime scene today."

Anna was quiet for a few moments before answering. "No. Maybe she's actually making some progress." She sounded bitter.

"It's been a rough few days." I looked back at my laptop. "For everyone."

Anna seemed to be thinking. She drummed her fingers on the table while staring off into space. Finally she pushed the chair back and began to pace once again. I read over what I had written down and then looked to the case file on the third scene. I sighed allowed.

"This is very difficult when we aren't there." I mused to myself.

I could hear Anna pause in her pacing before staring back up again. "And we can't exactly go down there to see the scene for ourselves. No while B and Misora are there."

I tapped the keys on my keyboard lightly, just enough that they made a noise, but didn't actually write anything more on the screen. I shut down the laptop and got up from my chair. I turned to face Anna who was still pacing. I leaned back against the table I had been working at and gripped the edge of it.

"Anna." I called and she stopped. "Where do you think he'll do it? He's going to have to have a location for the fourth murder attempt."

Anna leaned back against the couch and stared at me. "The initials will have to be either Q.Q. or B.B. The initials of the home's owner that is."

We watched one another for a moment. "If we can find anyone like that we can find the location without waiting for Naomi to find it. After all there's no guarantee she will find the location."

"No, he's given different information each time. The puzzle gave a location. Bridesmaid told us the name of the next victim. Quarter Queen's message was the initials are certainly B.B. because Q.Q. looks like an upside down B.B. if written with lowercase letters. So Bottomslash's clue will be…what?"

Anna and I went quiet again. We didn't have the answer to that question. What could Beyond give us that he hadn't already. "We have location, name, and a confirmation that these are the initials."

"What about date?" Anna questioned.

"No, we have the date. Beyond would have assumed we'd figure that out by now." I went quiet. "What about time?"

"Time? It makes sense." Anna pushed herself up to sit on the back of the couch. "We need to find the location, guessing what Beyond left behind isn't going to help us."

"It could help Naomi Misora."

"She can help herself. We need to find out where Beyond will be on the 22nd. Let Naomi deal with his puzzle."

It wasn't until the next day we got a call from Naomi.

"This is L." I answered, putting the phone on speaker so Anna could hear.

"Six fifteen and fifteen seconds." Naomi's voice called through the receiver. "The murder will take place at Six fifteen and fifteen seconds on August 22nd."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, so we are rapidly nearing the end of this story now that I've actually started working on it again. We only have one or two more chapters to go depending on how things get broken up. Once this ends, there will be one more story to the 'Forever and Always' series. The name of which will be revealed at the end of the last chapter. Anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying this.**

 **-Insaine**


	10. Chapter 10

Anna's POV

I was growing anxious. The day had finally come. The day Beyond would either be arrested or the day we would be identifying his body at the morgue. I was pacing again. It was a habit I was trying to break, but with B still on the run, I was having a hard time doing anything else. Being locked in this room with L when we should be making attempts to find him was driving me up the wall.

"She's going to the condos right?" I asked again.

L sighed audibly. "I told you she was. Anna, please sit down."

"Can't."

"Just do it, please."

I sat beside L, fidgeting and staring down at his phone. She was supposed to call soon. She had called the night before asking for some sort of financial backing to put the potential victim up in a hotel. I assume that was Beyond's idea. It sounded like something he would say. After all, it would be easier to do whatever he wanted if no one else was home.

"Wendy and Aiber are in place?" I asked.

L laid his hands on the table in front of himself and nodded. "Yes. They got there early this morning. I made sure everything was in place. We're going to catch him, you have to trust me."

"I just want to make sure." I voiced. "Is he going to be alive when we catch him?"

"Yes."

"You can't know that."

"Then why ask?"

"I wanted reassurance."

L tapped his fingers against his phone. There was no way for either of us to say Beyond would walk away from this. I knew that, L knew that. We wanted to believe he would. Well, I did. I couldn't speak for L. I looked back at L's phone. Maybe we could just call Naomi. I mean, it didn't really matter who called who, did it? No sooner than I thought that, the phone rang.

"L." L answered into the phone.

"Put it on speaker." I requested.

"Nothing happened here." Naomi Misora's voice came though the phone. "I spoke to Ryuzaki earlier, but nothing happened on his end either. No signs of anything out of the ordinary. I'm starting to think we're in it for the long haul."

"I see." L pondered something for a beat before answering. "Don't let your guard down. As I said before, your backup is in position around the condominium, but if anything happens, they aren't close enough to respond immediately."

"I know."

"Additionally, a few minutes ago I dispatched two people to the condo itself. I wasn't sure if they could be there in time, but the weather was on our side. We're lucky."

"Eh? But… that means…"

I couldn't take much more of this. I got up from the table and grabbed my jacket. L was too immersed in his conversation to notice.

"Don't worry, there's no chance the killer will notice. One of them is a professional infiltrator, and the other is a professional trickster. I can't tell you more, since you are an FBI agent, but basically a thief and a conman. I had one posted near each room."

"A thief… and a conman?" Naomi questioned.

I had to find those stupid keys. Once I found the keys, at least keys to the room I could leave. L wasn't so absorbed in the conversation that he wouldn't notice my absence beside him for long.

"So, Naomi Misora…" He was getting ready to hang up. I had to find the key card.

"Um, er, L… You know the killer, right?" I stopped in my search.

"Yes, as I said. He is B." L's eyes instantly fell on me across the room. He raised one eyebrow at me.

I knew this much look at least slightly suspicious. In one hand, I had my jacket and the other was in a drawer in search of a key card.

"I don't mean like that… I mean, he's someone you know personally?"

L and I watched one another for a long while before he actually answered. He motioned for me to come over to him once more. I sat on the arm of the chair and L tapped his fingers on the wood of the table. Our eyes met, silently asking one another what the answer should be. Finally, it was L to answer the question.

"Yes." Then added quickly. "But Naomi Misora, please keep that in the strictest confidence. The backup I have stationed near the condo and the thief and conman I have inside it have not been told what case they are working on. They are better off not knowing. Since you asked, I don't mind telling you, but generally speaking it was also something you were better off not knowing."

L shot me a look. I knew he was trying to remind me that it was my fault Naomi was asking any questions to begin with, but I didn't need reminding. I had only been trying to help ensure Beyond was captured sooner. It hadn't worked out in my favor, but the attempt was there.

"I know. Either way, whoever B is, he is a dangerous criminal who has claimed the lives of three people for no good reason. But there is one thing I wanted to ask."

"What?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

"You know the killer, but you have nothing to do with him?"

"I have nothing to do with him." The answer was instantaneous. "To be completely accurate, I do not even know B. He is simply someone I am aware of. But none of this affects my judgment. Certainly, I was interested in this case, and began to investigate it because I knew who the killer was. But it did not alter the way I investigated it, or the manner in which my investigation proceeded. Naomi Misora, I cannot overlook evil. I cannot forgive it. It does not matter if I know the person who commits evil or not. I am only interested in justice."

I knew the last part was directed at me. L went so far as to make eye contact with me as he said it. Beyond was dead to him. I knew that. The moment L took this investigation, I knew. The way he spoke about it, like Beyond was just a common criminal. He wasn't ours anymore, he wasn't the kid we grew up with. He was someone new. I simply hadn't wanted to accept it. I still didn't.

"Only… in justice?" She questioned. "Then… nothing else matters?"

L's hand found mine, his fingers brushing over the back of my hand.

"I wouldn't say that, but it is not a priority."

"You won't forgive any evil, no matter what the evil is?"

His hand enveloped mine and he brought it to his lips, resting it there.

"I wouldn't say that, but its not a priority."

"But…"

"There are people who justice cannot save." L said allowing my hand to drop back down to the table.

"And there are people evil can save."

"There are. But even so." L didn't change his tone, but he did glance away. "Justice has more power than anything else."

"Power? By power… you mean strength?"

"No. I mean kindness." It was so easy, the way he said it.

I moved my jacket from my arm to the table between us. L looked to it and then back to the phone.

"… I misunderstood you, L."

"Did you? I'm glad we cleared that up."

I moved from the arm of the chair to the table. I took one of L's hands in mine. He glanced up at me.

"I'll go back to work now." Naomi informed him.

"Very well." He shut the phone.

We didn't say anything for a few moments. I brought my hand up to cup his cheek before pressing a kiss to his lips. He leaned forward as I pulled away, prolonging the end of the kiss. As soon as it did end, he stood up and grabbed my face in his hands and slammed his mouth to mine in an almost sloppy kiss. After a few moments, I pushed him away gently.

"You want to go after him, don't you?"

"I do. Don't you want to?" I questioned.

I scanned his gaze, looking for some hint that he wanted to go with me. L sat back down and looked up at me almost pleading.

"I strongly advise against going."

"I have to."

I knew this argument didn't have a leg to stand on, but I hoped L would let it slide this once. He didn't say anything as he grabbed his phone and stood up. L's phone disappeared into his pocket.

"The jacket is unnecessary. It's rather warm outside."

"So we're going?"

L nodded, "There will be rules. Now let's go."

L's POV

The police cars had been expected. The ambulance and firetrucks had not been so well received by Anna. Her face paled instantly and I felt mine do the same. She crossed herself and put her hand on the door handle to get out. I had expected that. She couldn't get out. I'd turned on the child lock before getting her into the car after her. Anna turned to me quickly.

"L-"

"There's nothing we can do."

"Then what was the point of coming down here?" She snapped.

"To pacify your requests to do so and to ensure you didn't rush down here alone."

Anna leaned back into the seat and stared up at the car ceiling. I watched her blink back a few tears. I knew this was hard for her. Finally, I pushed open the door and offered her my hand. We slipped out of the car and headed over to the crowd of people standing behind barricades.

It wasn't long before there was what looked to be the charred remains of a body wheeled out on a gurney. So he was alive, perhaps barely so, but he was alive. Anna covered her mouth and a few tears escaped her eyes. I turned to her and pulled her into my chest.

"Let's get out of here. We've seen enough."

I led her back to the car and helped her inside before taking off down the street next back to the hotel.

Anna's POV

"I'll be back."

I stopped backing and turned to L. We had a plane to catch. We were supposed to be at the airport in four hours and he had not packed a thing. We were flying out from LAX to a small airport close to Winchester. From there Watari had arranged for a car to retrieve us.

"Where are you going?" I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest.

L looked a tad uncomfortable. His hair was a bit wilder than usual. He was wearing shoes. Old sneakers I had seen him wear over the years. They were beaten and torn and he was in desperate need of a new pair, but he wouldn't hear of it. It wasn't like he wore them regularly anyways.

"I want to thank Naomi in person."

I raised my eyebrows and turned from him, packing more of my things away. "Is it safe?"

"I'll be fine."

I considered it for a moment. "Okay. I'll see you when you get back."

He pressed a quick kiss to my cheek and then he was gone. I finished packing my things and tossed L's into his own suitcase before grabbing the key card L had left on the nightstand. We were going back to Winchester tonight. That meant we were going to leave this case behind forever. We were leaving Beyond behind forever. I had made up my mind.

I went down to the hospital quickly. This was it. The last time I would see him. This was how I would get closure for this whole thing.

L's POV

I arrived back at the hotel room to find Anna lying curled up on the bed, a book in her hands. I crawled in next to her and looked over some of the words.

"Are you ready to get going?"

She nodded and shut the book. Anna got up and grabbed her duffle bag and swung it over her shoulder without a word. I frowned.

"Is everything alright?"

She looked up at me after stuffing her book into her bag. "Everything's fine. I'm just ready to get home."

I didn't believe that for a second, but I decided to let it go. I took her hand after picking up my own bag and headed out of the hotel and to the plane. Anna stared out the window. I knew she was upset about Beyond, there was no way she wasn't, but the case was closed and time would heal the wounds he created. We just had to take the time to let it happen.

 _The End_

* * *

 **A/N: This took way too long to be completed. At any rate, thank you all who have followed Anna and L this far. There is one more story that has been started for them. It's entitled Seventeen and is currently up. In this story we follow Anna and L's daughter Gia. It takes place about 17 years after Hard to Love ends. That is all.**

 **-Insaine**


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